Library wars Fanfic
by Alya Starbright
Summary: Kasahara gets entrusted to a rather dangerous task, and it has a dangerous outcome. Dojo is of course there for her every step of the way, but all might not turn out as expected. T for violence, but there's no cursing. A package arrives full of books that violates the law- and kasahara pays dearly for saving it according to orders- will it cost her her life? Or something more?
1. A Mission

Library Wars FanFiction

Chapter 1

"Kasahara, weren't you listening at all?" Dojo's voice could be heard through the entire hallway. "You blockhead!"

Komaki placed a hand on his shoulder, signature smile still in place. "Now Dojo, are you really that surprised?"

Dojo just looked annoyed. "Not really. But still! She could at least attempt to not fall asleep during meetings. Especially this one."

"Especially this one?" Kasahara asked, confused. "What's happening?"

Tezuka walked up at that moment, understanding immediately what had happened. "Fell asleep again, Kasahara?" She fumed silently. "The meeting was over our new assignments for an upcoming raid. We've been expecting it for a while."

"Expecting it?" she echoed, confused. "Why?"

This time it was Dojo who answered, ruffling a hand through his hair in frustration. "We're receiving books from a library that's being shut down. The books and articles in question deliberately violated the media betterment act. They're bound to be a target."

Kasahara seemed to understand this, but still asked a question. "So what's with this 'new assignments' thing, then?"

Komaki answered, "We need fast runners who can retrieve the books and get them to the safety of the library before the MBC can get to them. Since the trucks probably won't be able to get past their barricade, it's a dangerous job."

Dojo looked down, when Kasahara asked the obvious question. "Who's on it?"

Silence fell, but was eventually broken by Dojo. "You."

6:00

Kasahara sighed, pumping her legs to keep warm. It was freezing- she could see her breath puffing out as she jogged in place.

"Save your energy, Kasahara. You're going to need it." She stopped, but looked over at her officer. He hadn't looked at her all morning.

"Do you know when they'll get here?" She asked, rubbing her hands to keep them warm. Dojo shrugged. She stayed silent for a moment, but then said softly, "What'll happen?"

He looked forward, his brow furrowed. "They're going to put up a fight. A big one. Books like that that blatantly disregard the Act- they're going to stop at nothing to destroy them." He turned to face her, looking her in the eye for the first time all morning. "It's going to be dangerous- be careful out there."

She snapped to a salute. "Sir!" But she couldn't get his words out of her mind as she ran to assume her post behind the sacks nearest the gates. 'Be careful.'

She crouched in wait, peering out behind the sacks. The distant rumble of vans echoed, but whether they were the MBC vans or the delivery, she couldn't tell. She checked her watch-6:30. The library opened at 9. How long would the fight last?

The MBC vans entered, knocking down the gates and circling the entrance, making it impossible for anything bigger than a person to go through.

A voice echoed in her earpiece. 'Go, Kasahara!' Dojo's voice snapped her into focus, and she dodged out from behind the sacks, sprinting towards the vans that had just entered. Whipping past them, she quickly found the package of books and articles that had just been dropped seconds before by the library's vans.

She turned quickly, ready to sprint back to the library, only to find the truck doors opening, MBC members spilling out.

'Kasahara! Get out of there!' Dojo's voice yelled into her earpiece over the sound of gunfire.

Only a couple of the MBC agents had noticed her- the rest were flocking towards the barricades, guns firing.

Dodging past the agents, hoping fervently they wouldn't shoot, she raced the long way around the vans, parallel to the library before swiveling around the last truck, and, gasping for breath, back to the library.

Checking behind her quickly to make sure she wasn't being followed, she took a quick breather. 'Kasahara, there's a clear path between the last van and the back doors! Go now!' She took action immediately, swinging the bag onto her back. If dojo said it was clear, she would run like the wind.

Guns fired all around her, but she didn't dare stop for a second. None hit her, and she made it to the doors with little more than a scratch were a bullet had simply grazed her. Yanking the doors open, she made it inside, and dodged to the side of the hallway, out of sight of the window.

"Sir, I'm safely insid—" She started, and was cut off by the appearance of no less than five MBC members charging down the hallway straight towards her.

"There she is! Capture the books at any cost!" One shouted.

She paled, and started to yell into the microphone, but too late.

A gun fired, and Kasahara fell.

Dojo tapped his earpiece, with one hand, reloading in the other. "Kasahara?" He yelled over the gunshots.

"Lt. Dojo! There're. . . !" Crackling filled his earpiece, followed by a loud gunshot. One that didn't belong to the outside.

"Kasahara! Kasahara!" He yelled, shouting now. Still just static.

"Dang it! Komaki, Cover me!" He dashed out, ignoring Komaki's calls to come back.

If that idiot had gotten herself shot. . .

He pulled open the door, breathing hard. He took in the scene in seconds. There were MBC agents all against the wall, surrounding a small figure-

"Kasahara!" He yelled, and they all turned- just in time to get punched by Dojo.

They didn't stand a chance against him- they all fell to the ground, thoroughly beaten, unconscious or groaning.

Rushing to the girl's side, he propped her up on his knee, taking off her helmet to better see her face. She winced in pain, arms clutching her leg from which blood was soaking her pant leg. Gritting her teeth, she propped herself up on her own feet, Crouching on the floor next to Dojo.

She glanced his way, a small smile brightening her face, but it didn't mask the pain in her eyes. "Thanks, I—" She looked over his shoulder, shock evident on her face. "Duck!" She yelled as she tackled him to the floor, crouching over him as the sound of a gun firing echoed through the room.


	2. Consequences

Library wars Fan Fiction

Chapter two

Ok, so I forgot to put a disclaimer in the first chapter. Oops!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own library wars.

anyways, onto the story!

Dojo looked up in shock, eyes widening when he saw Kasahara above him, blood on her neck from where she was shot.

He sat up quickly, catching her as she sagged. "Kasahara. Kasahara!"

Her eyes were shut tight, teeth gritted in pain.

Holding her shoulders, dojo looked her straight in the face, voice businesslike and slightly angry. "Kasahara-Answer me!"

Her eyes opened a crack, fists clenched, pain etched into her face. "Do. . . Jo. . ."

"Where?" He asked gruffly, searching for the source of the blood covering her neck and back.

She pointed to the back of her neck, and gasped in pain when he touched it gingerly.

He looked around, searching for something to stop the bleeding when a siren sounded, signaling the end of the raid. Dojo's head snapped up, a plan immediately forming in his head.

"Kasahara- can you walk?" She nodded mutely but determinedly, and he wrapped one of her arms around his shoulders, rising slowly as she tested her weight. Wrapping an arm around her waist for support, he took a small step with her. As soon as she stepped on it, it collapsed under her, and he grunted as her full weight hit him.

Dojo, seeing this wasn't going to work, picked her up carefully, her head on his shoulder, legs draped over his other arm so they wouldn't touch her wounds.

She tried to protest, but he ignored her, instead running out of the building, immediately searching for a medic.

He looked to the nearest med, who rushed over as soon as he saw them.

Motioning for him to follow, he placed her on a stretcher, the medic immediately going to work. Kasahara didn't respond when the doctor touched her neck. Her eyes were still closed, but she had no other response.

"Kasahara?" dojo asked, wincing as the doctor used tweezers to pull out shards of metal and glass from her wounds.

She didn't respond. His fists clenched, and he looked away, unable to watch anymore. "Dojo!" komaki called, running over. He stopped dead when he saw Kasahara. "What happened?" he demanded, apparently the message being now unimportant.

"The MBC happened." He replied savagely, fuming silently.

Komaki simply stared at both his friends, worried about both.

"She needs an ambulance," The medic reported, pressing bandages against her neck. "I can stop it from getting infected, but she'll bleed to death if she doesn't get to a hospital right away."

Komaki nodded, turning to leave. "I'll get it. Dojo, watch Kasahara." He took off, leaving dojo and Kasahara with the doctor.

"I have other patients- if the ambulance doesn't get here fast enough, I need to you change the bandages. It won't do any good to have blood-soaked bandages on a dying patient." Dojo fumed silently. Here she was, dying, and the doctor was being all calm and cool and joking. But he nodded and sat down.

The doctor left, leaving the two of them alone.

He simply sat, staring at her face, the pain still evident in her boyish features. 'Idiot. Sacrificing yourself for the books. . . . You haven't changed a bit.' He placed a hand behind her head, checking the bandages. They were wet- when he pulled away, red had tinged his hand.

'Dang. Idiot had to go and get herself shot. Always trouble for me.' Pulling the bandage off carefully, he quickly replaced them, wrapping her neck, careful not to touch it. A groan caught his attention, and his hand slipped, rubbing against her wound inadvertently.

She winced, hand twitching slightly. "Kasahara?" Dojo asked. She still didn't respond, but her slight reactions gave him hope that maybe she would make it.

A sigh escaped him, surprising him. Why was he worried about that idiot? He started to stand, ready to look around for the ambulance that was supposed to be coming.

He heard the siren in the distance- they should be here soon.

A tug on his sleeve stopped him from standing. Looking down at her in surprise, he saw her small hand latched onto his shirt. "Don't go." She whispered roughly. "Please." His gaze softened, and he sat once again.

Her hand let go, but instead slipped into his. He stared at her in surprise. 'Is she doing this on purpose?' He thought, then with his other hand ruffled his hair. 'Geez. Why am I worried about this idiot?'

The siren got closer, and he turned to see doctors rushing towards him, gurney in tow. He slightly stood, shaking his hand, trying to get her to let go. She didn't.

"Sir, please lift up one end- we need to get her onto the gurney." One doctor said before barking instructions to other medics.

He followed instructions without complaint- although it was rather difficult with only one hand. Carefully transferring her to the gurney, the doctors looked at Dojo skeptically.

"Sir, We're going to need identification if. . ."

Komaki's voice cut them off as he placed a hand on Dojo's shoulder. "He's her superior officer- He was assigned by Major Genda to stay with her." Dojo scowled at Komaki, then realized what they were doing.

He scowled at him as they towed Kasahara (with him being dragged along) into the ambulance. Komaki smiled at him as the doors shut. So that's what the message had been. Man, Komaki was even worse than Shibasaki when it came to scheming. . .

Again, so glad you guys read my story! Next chapter coming soon, according to request! Thanks for reading!


	3. Verdict

Library wars FanFiction

Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own library wars. Unfortunately. I would love to own dojo. Just saying. **

**Again, thanks for reading! Commentary and criticism welcome!**

Dojo sat impatiently in the waiting room, awaiting the verdict. They had rushed her into the emergency room as soon as they arrived, and Dojo had been forced to wait here for 3 hours, anxious the whole time.

The door to the waiting room opened, and a doctor walked out. "Lt. Dojo?" he asked, looking down at a clipboard. He stood, and the doctor nodded. "Follow me."

Confused, he followed him. As they walked the doctor spoke. "She was very bad when you brought her in- She lost a lot of blood and the bullet, though missing her spine, still damaged connections between her body and brain."

"What does that mean?" Dojo asked as the doctor opened put his hand on the handle of a door.

"It means that she can't currently control her own actions- mostly voluntary actions. While she can still breathe on her own, she cannot talk, hear, see, or move." He replied, opening the door to reveal Kasahara, bandages covering her arm, leg, and neck, along with a heart machine beside her, beeping in time.

Dojo stood shocked in the doorway, staring blindly at her limp figure.

"She may not be in the best condition, but she is alive." The doctor said, pity clear in his voice. "Press the call button if there's any change." Dojo nodded mutely before going to sit by her.

He simply sat, staring at her, wondering if there was anything he could've done to prevent this. He had tried to warn her. His words 'Be careful' buzzed in his ears. His fist clenched. How could he have let this happen?

The door opened softly, and he turned to see Shibasaki walk in. "How is she?" she asked. He looked down at Kasahara, trying hard to keep his voice steady and monotone.

"She can't move, or talk, or anything. She's basically in a coma."

Shibasaki's eyes didn't miss the fact that dojo's fists where clenched, his jaw tight. She smiled lightly at the fact that he was so worried about her, but her own anxiety betrayed the fact that, although she would never admit it, she was worried about her too.

"She'll be fine, Dojo. Knowing her she'll come out fighting, just like she always does." He nodded, still not looking her in the eye.

Knowing that he wanted to be left alone, she deliberately placed herself right in front of him, making him look at her.

"How long are you going to stay here moping?" she asked. He looked at her in shock, but she went on. "Would she want you to stay here all day, thinking of what you could've done? Or out there, actually doing something useful?"

He didn't reply, but she could see that her work here was done. She walked towards the door without sparing another glance behind her. "Shibasaki?" he asked, surprising her. She stopped.

"What is it, Instructor Dojo?" she replied, slightly mocking tone on his honorific.

"You're worried about her too, aren't you?" She was shocked by his reply. Looking back at him slightly, she saw his face, determined but slightly inquisitive.

She smiled. "Now why ever would you get that idea?" she said before turning back to the door. "But you're right. That simpleton always has a way of making the people around her worry. Even barbarian teachers and high school princes."

He was shocked but still smiled. "Yeah, she does." He said, chuckling softly. She really did have a way of making the people around her worry. Then he registered what she said- "Wait, what did you say, shibasaki?!" he said, whirling back to face her, but she was gone.

'Man, you can't hide anything from that woman,' he thought grudgingly, running a hand through his hair.

He looked at Kasahara, who was still lying, motionless except for the small rise and fall of her chest. He had always been there for her whenever she needed him- why not this time?

_I want to be like him someday! That's why I'm not going to quit!_

_You remind me of him, instructor Dojo. My prince. You're always coming to my rescue. _

_I _like_ him. _

_Yeah but, someone did that for me already._

_Besides. . . you've done a good job of toughening me up._

_It breaks my heart to think that he went through that because of me. _

_You're like a hero. _

He shook his head, trying to clear the rattling memories. 'She's going to be fine,' he said to himself. 'just fine.'

One week later

Dojo closed the door softly behind him, walking the familiar path out of the hospital and down the corridors of the base towards his office.

"Dojo?" Someone asked, stopping him. "Went to see Kasahara again?" Komaki asked, easily catching up with him.

"Yeah," he replied shortly, looking away.

"Still no change?" he asked, worried about both Dojo and Kasahara. Dojo's frustrated silence was an obvious 'no'.

"It's been a week and still no response. When's she going to snap out of this?" he said angrily.

"Dojo, you have to be patient," Komaki said, still keeping his cool. It didn't help dojo's mood, and Komaki placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dojo, you remember when you got caught in the building fire and ended up in the hospital?" (See episode 11 and 12)

Silence answered, and he continued. "Kasahara went to visit you every day and got no response from you. Sound familiar?"

Dojo sighed and brushed off Komaki's hand, walking away down the corridor.

Komaki sighed. 'You're going to have to figure it out at some point, Dojo. You're head over heels.'

Dojo stormed down the hallway, glaring at anybody and everybody who crossed him.

Walking into the office, he slammed the door behind him, sitting at his desk in a huff. He was too distracted to do any work or to notice Komaki entering the room. He simply stared at Kasahara's empty desk, wondering when she would wake up and come back to work.

Tezuka and Komaki talked quietly in the corner, and he could catch his name in there a couple times, but tried once again to ignore it.

"Dojo? Spare a minute?" Major Genda asked, opening his office door.

He closed the door behind him, and waited for the major to speak.

"Any news on Kasahara, Dojo?" He asked right off the bat.

He shook his head, refusing to let himself show any emotion. "Nothing. No change."

Genda sighed and stood from where he was seated at his desk. "You know that the battle with the media is escalating, correct?"

He nodded. "Yes sir."

"For the time being I think it's safe to assume that Kasahara won't be awake- or well enough- to fight for a while. Do you have someone else in mind that can stand in while she's away?"

He thought for a second before realizing what Genda was saying. "Wait, you want to replace Kasahara?!" Genda held up his hands like a shield against his anger.

"Calm down, Dojo. It's only temporary." But he was still fuming.  
"She's not dead!" He said, not wanting to let it go.

"We know that, Dojo, but we need every man we can muster! Kasahara is unable to continue her duties, and we need someone to fill in while she continues in her current state."

Dojo turned so that Genda couldn't see his face. "She returns to the Task Force as soon as she is able?" he specified. Genda nodded. "Fine."

"So, any suggestions?" Genda asked again. Dojo turned and headed to the door without being dismissed.

"No." he said, and left without another word.

He sat by Kasahara's bedside again, staring out the window at the winter wonderland that covered the outside. The cool chill that had started on the day of the raid had escalated into a full-fledged winter.

_It's snowing! The first snow of winter!_

He blinked, turning his gaze back to Kasahara. When he was here, her words always had a way of reoccurring in his memory.

"Kasahara." He said out loud, thinking hard about the problem at hand. "What am I supposed to do?" he sighed, staring at her again as her chest gently rose and fell.

"When will you wake up?" he asked, watching her in her unconsciousness. "We're all waiting for _you_, Kasahara."

Reaching out his hand, he gently touched the bandages covering her hand. "Wake up." He whispered.

**Kasahara's POV**

Something warm encased her hand. It was one of the few things she had felt during the haze other than the needles poked into her skin.

As she focused more on what she was feeling outside of her own mind, she became more aware.

There was a steady beeping that kept time with her heartbeat. . .

A burning sensation in her neck and head . . .

A gentle hand rubbing hers. . .

Wait, what? She twitched her hand, making sure she was sure of what she was feeling. The rubbing stopped. After a couple seconds devoid of feeling, she wondered if she had imagined it. But a voice drifted through the haze that clouded her brain, and it sounded familiar. . .

"Kasahara?" someone asked, sounding incredulous. Forcing her eyes open, she winced against the bright lights that blinded her.

As her eyes adjusted, a familiar face appeared in her vision, and she smiled, though it hurt.

"Dojo."

He looked surprised for a moment before returning the smile.

Then it hardened into chastisement. "You blockhead- how could you have gotten shot? And what was with your hero act? I can take care of myself—"

"I wasn't trying to be a hero," she interrupted, coughing.

"Then what _were_ you doing?" he asked, trying to hide his concern with anger. She started to answer and ended up in a fit of coughing, unable to answer.

He looked at her, worried. "Kasahara?" the coughing eased after a second, although she looked pale and sickly.

"I'm fine," she said in a raspy voice.

He tried not to show it, but she could tell that he was worried about her. He hesitated.

"Good Job." He said after a couple moments of silence. "I-I'm proud of you."

She looked surprised, and then smiled. She tilted her head to the side so she could see him better. "Pretty stupid of me to get shot though, huh?"

He smiled, and to his surprise, chuckled. "And yet despite it all, you still managed to save the books _and_ miraculously stay alive."

She looked indignant. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?" but her eyes betrayed playfulness, and she sighed.

"Are you really fine?" Dojo asked. She looked at him, looking tired but happiness still glimmered in her eyes.

"You worry too much. Honestly, I'm fine." She said, but still looked slightly red, a sheen of sweat covering her face.

Dojo involuntarily held her hand tighter. She smiled slightly, but her breathing was getting shallow, as if she were struggling to breath.

She closed her eyes, and, sliding her hand out of dojo's and coughed into it again. This time they racked her entire body, shaking her frail frame.

"Kasahara?" Dojo asked, more worried now than before. "You need a doctor?"

"I'm _**fine**_." She said between bouts of coughs. He grabbed her hand away from her face, which was now cherry red- and not from the coughing.

"No, you're not." He said, looking around for the call button the doctor had mentioned.

She only groaned, and it was a weird mix between one of exasperation and pain. Looking around more frantically now, he glanced back at her- she was on her side, trying to cover up her coughing.

A red "call" button caught his eye, and he jammed it.

"What do you need?" a voice squawked through the microphone.

"It's an emergency," Dojo replied tersely.

"We're on our way," the voice said instantly, and Dojo was thankful when it sounded more serious than before.

A couple minutes later, the door slammed open and 3 doctors entered, 2 immediately disconnecting Kasahara from her fetal position on the bed, trying to transfer her to a gurney without much success.

"What happened?" the third asked, facing him. Dojo explained in quick sentences, watching his face change from serious to shock to determined.

"We should have known."

"What?" Dojo asked when the doctor turned to Kasahara, and searched her neck.

"We didn't take the bullet out-it was too close to her spine- but the lead might've gotten into her bloodstream. We have no choice now to go back in, take it out, and hope that she survives. But if we leave it in there, she'll have no chance."

He glanced back at Dojo, a question in his eyes. Dojo nodded. "Do it."


	4. The New Recruit

**Chapter 4**

**Hey guys. Sorry it took so long to update- its finals week at my school and my parents wouldn't let me on the computer unless I was studying. Thanks for being so patient with me! An extra long chapter this time, to make up for my absence!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own library wars. **

**Without further ado, I bring the fourth chapter of our story! (By the way, if any of you have suggestions for a better title, I would love to hear them!)**

* * *

Dojo sat in his room, head in his hands. A couple quick raps interrupted his thoughtful silence. "Dojo? I'm coming in…."

Komaki opened the door to see dojo sitting on his bed, normal scowl on his face. He knew that look all to well.

"Is she alright?" He asked. Dojo didn't answer. Komaki sighed and sat down on the floor next to him, breaking out a couple cans of beer. Dojo took his without question, but didn't drink.

"How could she be alright? She was in a coma and is now undergoing a surgery they should've done in the first place." Komaki was stunned at his words but even more so at how protective he sounded right then.

"Dojo, none of us could've guessed that this would happen to her of all people. Its not your fault- stop blaming yourself."

"But I'm not!"

Silence fell, and they simply sat for a minute, neither breaking the silence.

Komaki sighed. "Dojo, one of these days you're going to have to admit that you're a bit overprotective. There's no way we could've anticipated this. But I think we both know one thing for sure- If anyone can pull through this, she can. She's the most stubborn person I know. And that's including you."

* * *

A Couple Months Later

"Takeru, Don't drop your arms!"

"Hai!"

It had been 3 months since the operation. Kasahara had yet to awake.

Takeru Yuuma had replaced Kasahara in the Task Force as a Temporary replacement.

Nearly the whole Task Force had accepted him as one of their own- all except Team Dojo, to which he was assigned.

It didn't seem to bother him a bit- but he wasn't the type to let that get to him- he had been the top of his class, second only to Tezuka. And he had only improved under the constant and frightful gaze of Dojo.

Dojo hadn't been kind to anyone since Kasahara had been put under life support after her major operation. Everyone understood why, but didn't understand why he didn't get past it. And to be honest, neither did he, completely.

After Miles of running and even more gruesome training, in which Takeru had placed first in the race and had held out against Dojo in sparring for nearly a minute, They retired to the commons.

"Dojo, why do you push Takeru so hard? He hasn't done anything to you except try to please you."

Dojo all but ignored Komaki as he ate. "It's not that I don't like him- he's a star recruit- the best any officer could ask for."

"Then why don't you trust him?" This made Dojo stop cold.

"Whoever said I didn't trust him?" Komaki snorted.

"Dojo, it's obvious to anybody who pays enough attention that you don't give him the time of day. He's been wondering why."

Dojo went back to ignoring Komaki. It was obvious that he wasn't going to reply.

"Is it still about Kasahara?" He said, voice low. Dojo started but then glared at him. "A lot of people are worried about you, Dojo. And wondering why you can't let her go."

Dojo slammed his bowl on the table, drawing attention from around the room, but he merely glared at Komaki before muttering to him under his breath.

"How can you all forget about her so easily?!" he hissed. He normally wouldn't lose his temper like this, but he couldn't help it- even Komaki now was encouraging him to let Kasahara go.

At first they had all felt the difference in the air when Kasahara had been missing- more tension, more stress on everybody. Eventually though, people had gotten used to it, and had even accepted the fact that she was gone. Had thought it was a better way of doing things. Forgot about Kasahara altogether.

Ignoring the surprised look on Komaki's face, he picked up his dishes and walked away without another word. There was muttering around him, but as usual he ignored it as he walked down the hall.

"I hear he's still going to see her. That one injured girl from the raid those months ago."

"Really? I can't believe that. Why hasn't he given up yet?"

"I hear she was some pet of his. First Girl Task Force member or something."

"What?! No way! She was in Dojo's team?!"

"Yeah. I heard they replaced her with someone, though they say its only temporary."

"Only temporary? She's in life support. Might as well make it official and replace her."

"That's what I thought too, but I heard that he made a big stink about it. . . . "

"I can't believe he would do that. Why would he go that far for a subordinate officer?"

The conversations all went the same way. As if Kasahara had never existed, as if all the facts about her were rumors. As if she didn't even live.

Sitting down at his desk, finally escaping the whispers of the hallway, he turned again and again to see Takeru working at the desk Kasahara had once occupied. He saw Kasahara's blond hair for a second; turning around to face him, smile wide on her face.

"Need something, sir?" Dojo blinked, and the image vanished, leaving a very confused Takeru in her place. Dojo shook his head.

"Nothing. Just get back to work." He turned back to his computer, tapping his fingers anxiously on the keyboard, not able to concentrate.

"Dojo? A minute, if you can spare it." Genda's voice snapped him to attention, and he followed grudgingly. The last time he called him in here, it was to tell him Kasahara was being replaced, even if only temporarily.

The door snapped shut behind him, and Genda stared at him from behind his desk. "What do you think of the recruit, Dojo?"

"He's a model recruit- Second after Tezuka. A good fighter, and lots of determination. Willing to push himself to his limits."

Genda nodded. "That's all true. He is a model recruit, and I have to agree that he doesn't really match tezuka's standards. But what I mean is what do you think of him?"

"I don't think I understand, sir." Genda stood.

"You can tell me all you want about his performance Dojo, but it's obvious that you don't like the kid."

'Why should I? he replaced Kasahara.' Dojo thought, but out loud he said,

"I treat him like I do any other task force member."

Genda snorted. "I don't see you ignoring and punishing any other task force members." He stared at Dojo, looking him strait in the eye. "I've gotten several requests to make him a permanent member of the Force."

Dojo started, but tried to keep a strait face. "I know I promised," Genda continued, "But We have no way of knowing how long she'll be out, both with recovery time and even if she will ever be able to walk again."

Dojo opened his mouth to speak, but Genda cut him off "It's for the good of the force. We need this guy. He's even better than Kasahara was at 3 months- why can't you trust him?"

Dojo closed his mouth and opened it again. "You're right. We have no way of knowing. Make me a new promise. As soon as Kasahara is well again that you will let her back in, no exceptions."

"Wasn't that part of the old promise? But if you agree, I'll do it. Dismissed."

Dojo turned to walk out. "Oh, and Dojo?"

"Yes sir?"

"At least make an effort to trust Takeru. He's a good one- he deserves it."

Dojo looked over his shoulder, but didn't look at Genda.

"I won't be able to trust anyone who takes Kasahara's place. No matter how good they are. Sorry."

Genda sighed as the door to his office closed.

"Sometimes I wonder about him."

* * *

Dojo sat in the plain white room, the monotone beeping sounding familiar and welcome in his ears- before it was a sign of despair- that she wasn't awake yet. Now it was a sign that she was still alive, still fighting.

He tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling. "What do I do now, Kasahara? When are you going to wake up? When are you coming back?"

The familiar Silence answered him. He looked back down to see her still lying there, tubes sticking out of her, blond hair now to her shoulders, bangs waving in front of her face. It glowed gold as the sun set outside her window, shedding a heavenly glow around her.

He reached out and stroked her cheek- although it looked pink and warm in the sunset, it was cold to the touch.

His subordinate officer was all but gone from this world.

Were they right to think that he should let her go?

* * *

Back at the base, they prepared for another raid. They had become more frequent since the books had kept coming, steadily and in larger increments.

This was the last shipment, and by far the largest. There had been reports of thefts from where the books where being stored, and they suspected the underlings of the MBC was behind it.

Sending the remainder of the books at once was the only way to keep from having more stolen.

They had transitioned between runners, none having so many problems now that they had tightened security in the hallway they were running to. The runner this time: Takeru Yuuma.

* * *

Dojo stood where he had this same morning 3 months ago. But unlike 3 months ago, not Kasahara but Takeru Stood by him. And unlike Kasahara, who ran in place, trying to keep warm and keep her nerves in check, he stood confident and ready in the frigid air. Winter months had not yet passed.

Trying to not only break the awkward silence but also follow Genda's orders to be nice to the boy, he said, "Be careful out there." The words echoes through time, but the response to them being the same.

He snapped to a salute. "Sir!" and took his position at the edge of the sandbags, ready to run.

"Here they come!" Dojo yelled as the first trucks entered the vicinity. Takeru took off, 2 other members at his heels to help with the load. Gunshots took over the majority of Dojo's attention, but he kept one eye on the boy, making sure they got in and out safely.

Even if he didn't like him, he couldn't stand another injury on his conscience. Aiming at the truck doors with expert precision, he saw one, two green uniforms blur by, boxes in hand, sprinting to the safety of the doors.

The third was nowhere to be seen. He ducked behind the sacks. "Takeru, Report!"

The reply was immediate.

"One man down, sir! He stayed behind to guard and was wounded. His case was hidden in the bushes on the east side."

Dojo cursed under his breath. Takeru's voice buzzed through the line again. "Requesting permission to retrieve the case."

Dojo's mind switched back to Kasahara, how she sacrificed her life to save the books. How she had disobeyed orders to rapple down and save the bag of books. How he had ran to save her.

Takeru's voice brought him back to the present. "Instructor Dojo?"

His mind flickered through the pros and cons quickly, and he spat an answer past his mouthpiece. "Go fast. Don't stop for anything."

Grabbing a new round and jamming it into his gun, he stood to cover Takeru as he ran to get the case. The Gunfire grew din around him as he shot again and again.

'When will you trust him?'

'Why can't you let her go?'

'He's even better than Kasahara.'

'He's a model recruit.'

The gunfire ceased slowly, and a hand on his shoulder brought him back. "He did it."

Komaki said as Dojo lowered his gun.

"I knew he could," Dojo replied as he took off his helmet. "Kid had guts, going back for the case."

Komaki laughed. "Remind you of someone? I think I know why you can't stand him."

Dojo raised his eyebrows.

"He's the spitting image of Kasahara. Same fire, determination, want to please you, guts, stupidity. . . "

Dojo punched his shoulder. "Shut it."

But it made him think- is that why he couldn't trust him? He was afraid of losing Takeru too?

He turned on his heel, hearing komaki call after him. "Where are you going?!"

"I owe someone an apology."

Komaki smiled after him. 'I guess he's learning.'

* * *

"Thank you, sir." Takeru said, practically beaming from pride.

Dojo nodded, walking away, a small wave saying goodbye.

He had managed to say an apology, but Takeru hadn't taken it.

'I get it, Instructor Dojo. She was amazing- I can't deny that. I would've done the same thing if I were in your position. I wouldn't give up on her if my life depended on it. She's someone anybody can count on.'

Dojo stopped, and sat down on a bench at the end of the hall. He was right about that- she had never given up on him, no matter how much he had hurt her. She was dependable- he could ask her to do the impossible and she would do it without question.

'What if I was wrong? I can't just let her go that easily. Everyone else can, but I'll never give up!' his fist clenched, he stood again.

'You're always the first to come to my rescue' That was what she had said. And it was true. He would always be there for her, no matter how stupid she was being.

"Atsushi Dojo, You have a call waiting." Dojo's head snapped up.

Who would call him that wouldn't have called his cell phone?

* * *

He picked up the phone. "Hello?"

A feminine voice answered. "Hello. Is this Mr. Dojo?"

"Hai," he said, confused. Mr Dojo?

"We were asked to notify you that Ms. Kasahara woke up yesterday. She was in recovery, and is now cleared for visitors. If you would like to visit, she should be in room I117."

"Thanks, I'll be there shortly."

Putting down the phone, Dojo stood there for a second, thinking.

After all this time she was awake? Would she have changed much personality wise? Would she be able to walk? To talk? They said that some things would be different since the bullet had been so close to her spine.

He walked out slowly making his way to the hospital.

"Dojo!" He turned to see Komaki running towards him.

"Where are you going? Break's almost over." He looked at his watch. It was true.

"I'm sorry Komaki, but can you tell Genda I'm busy?" Komaki blinked, Then seemed to recognize the importance of this.

"Sure thing. Can I ask where you're headed?"

"They said that Kasahara woke up yesterday, and she's allowed to have visitors now."

Komaki nodded at this.

"Just don't be to sad if something goes wrong, okay? It's not the end of the world."

Dojo nodded and headed off, leaving Komaki behind.

Although he was right, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to majorly change.

* * *

At the reception desk, the clerk pointed him to the roof.

"She left to get some air." She said with a smile. "Don't be too hard on her, okay? She's had a rough day."

Dojo nodded.

Stepping out into the sunshine, he felt the breeze- no wonder she had wanted to come up here.

She sat on a bench next to a clothesline, her hair now falling past her shoulders, blowing slightly in the wind. A pair of crutches were propped up next to her.

Walking silently over, she didn't seem to notice his approach. Wondering if he should say something, he reached a hand out and lightly touched her shoulder.

She jumped, her hand knocking the crutches over, before she stared at him in shock.

He placed his hands in the air. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

She simply stared at him. He bent down and picked up her crutches, handing them to her. Cautiously, she took them, staring at him in confusion. "Thanks, I guess."

They stared awkwardly at each other for a minute, hair blowing in the wind. She shivered. "Cold?" he asked. She nodded.

"I'm okay, though. I haven't been outside in a while, I think, so I don't want to miss this."

"You think?" He asked, confused. "You've been in a coma for 3 months." Her eyebrows scrunched.

"That long?" She said in wonder. "It feels like longer." He sighed. He thought that she's be a bit disoriented at first, but he didn't think that it would be this bad.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at him again in confusion. "Yeah, fine. Why do you ask? Why do you want to know?"

He coughed. "Why do I ask? Everybody's worried sick, Kasahara. They got someone to replace you. And of course I would be worried. I'm your superior officer."

The words tasted bitter on his tongue, but he said them anyway. Her reply was unexpected.

"Replace me? Who's everybody? You're my superior officer?" She rattled off in confusion.

Dojo got more and more worried by the second. "Don't mess around, Kasahara."

She looked scared, and she grasped her crutches, knuckles turning white. "Who are you? Just stay away from me!" she said, shoving him away, struggling on the crutches to move away from him.

"What?" he stuttered. "I'm Dojo!"

"Dojo?" she echoed numbly.

"Don't tell me you don't remember?!" He said, grasping her shoulders. She had a truly frightened look on her face. Letting go of the crutches, she grabbed his collar and in one motion flipped him over her shoulder. Both fell hard, Kasahara white in fright, Dojo white in shock.

"Help me! Please!" She called, crawling to where she dropped her crutches. People flooded the rooftop, some shaking him and asking what happened, but he couldn't speak as he watched her being helped into a wheelchair. Someone was calming her, but she was still white, fear evident on every part of her face.

She . . . Had . . . Amnesia?

* * *

**Thanks guys, for reading! I know that its pretty lengthy, and I'ts going to have mistakes. If you see them, feel free to point them out! Please review, it'll help me keep going! Again, any ideas that you have, i'm free game. Thanks for Reading! See you next time!**

**Alya**


	5. Memories

**Chapter 5**

**Thanks to LaLa, SailorDeathMoon, Brightpath, Moonclover, and Mangafreak109 for reviewing my story! You're reviews help keep me going in the story.**

**A lot of you were mad at me. And I have to admit, I was laughing the whole time. Sorry :D. **

**Someone asked if she was going to get her memories back. And that, my dear readers, you will have to find out. Right now!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own library wars.**

* * *

"WHAT?!" four voices chorused. Team Dojo was sitting in the office, all attention now on Dojo.

Shibasaki got in his face. "Are you _sure_, Dojo? She doesn't remember _anything?_" He shrugged.

"I'm not sure how much she remembers. All I know is right now she's really confused- she doesn't even remember me at all." They all looked shocked.

"How could she forget you?" Komaki asked, stunned. Dojo just shrugged again. He was trying to not show it, but it was obvious that he was rattled by this.

Takeru coughed. They all looked at him. "Do you suppose we could visit her?" they all stared. "What?" he said, looking around at them.

"That's actually a pretty good idea. Then we can see how she's doing and . . . catch up." They all nodded, but Shibasaki eyed Takeru.

Genda nodded at them. "Alright. Report back soon. Team Dojo's on duty!"

"Sir!" The voices chorused again.

They exited slowly, but Shibasaki stopped Takeru. He looked at her, and raised his eyebrows. "Do you know Kasahara from somewhere?" he blinked.

"Yeah. How did you know?" She smiled.

"Why else would you want to go see her?" He cracked a smile.

"We knew each other in high school. She was always the sporty one out of all of us- I always got creamed." He chuckled, and even Shibasaki smiled.

This new information made her suspicious though. What were the chances that he, the one who knew Kasahara, was the one that took her place? She would look into this later.

* * *

She sat on her bed, her sheets pristine white over her unmovable legs. Her fall on the rooftop had put a lot of pressure on her newly healing bones, and although they didn't rebreak, it hurt a whole lot to even shift them in the bed.

She tried to not think of her past- it hurt her head too much to think about it. The doctors had drilled her for a while- what she remembered about her past, what she didn't.

Some of the things they had told her had seemed familiar- she was sporty in high school, she loved reading, although censorship was even stronger than it was when she was younger. But other than fuzzy bits and pieces, the last couple years of her life seemed completely gone.

They had tried to jog her memories- giving her the names of people she had supposedly worked with, but other than flashes of faces, it only made her head hurt more. Like she knew that her memories where supposed to be there, like she was supposed to know them, but couldn't call it to mind.

Now she was left alone in this boring white room to sort through her nonexistent memories.

It was so boring that she wished that she could get back on the rooftop, even meet the strange man again just to do something.

That man- he had seemed to know her, even rather well. The name he had given her had matched the ones the doctors gave her, but there was no flash of memory, no face, and no headache to go along with it.

He was just gone. Just like that. And she didn't know if she would ever get those things back.

She sat for a couple more minutes before lying back on her pillows, closing her eyes gently. The light coming in from her window was white- it was snowing outside.

'I love snow,' she thought before sleep covered her eyes and pulled her deeper in.

Her dreams where filled with faces and clips of speech, her running from one memory to another, only becoming more and more confused as the voices intensified, intertwining with gunshots and yelling. A distinctive and familiar voice called out her name in her ear as she jerked awake in a sweat.

She jerked up from her pillows, breathing hard. Opening her eyes, she saw 4 people in her room, the faces familiar from her images earlier. The dream was quickly fading away before she didn't even remember she had dreamed at all.

"Kasahara?" a pretty lady asked, looking at her, worried. "How are you?" she stared at her for a minute, trying to place the face with the name the doctors had told her before.

"I'm good . . . a bit confused. How are you . . ." she asked, before smiling as the name clicked into place. It felt right. "Shibasaki?"

She beamed at her and enveloped her in a very painful but comforting hug. Again this felt right, perfectly natural. She hugged her back, being careful of the tubes that still stuck out of her arm. "You remember me?" She asked, pulling back, beaming at her again.

Kasahara's face fell. "Just bits and pieces . . ." Shibasaki's face fell, but was still hopeful. She backed away, sweeping a hand.

"And them?" She said, jumping up and down. They all stared at her expectantly, one short black haired guy staring at the floor. She recognized him from before. She wasn't scared of him now that she knew that he knew her from before, but was a bit apprehensive of what his being here meant.

They noticed her staring at Dojo, and Komaki chuckled once, Tezuka looking somber as usual. Takeru looked hopeful.

"Remember me, Iku? From high school?" Kasahara tore her eyes away from Dojo, towards Takeru. She practically beamed when she saw him.

"Yuuma! What are you doing here? I thought you went to that military regime to please your parents." He looked confused.

"I did join it. I'm still in it. So are you . . . well, you were." She looked confused.

"I joined the Library Forces?"

'I am with the Kanto Library Forces!' the voice resounded in my head, and I clutched it in pain as a buzz filled my ears. I dimly heard someone calling my name; both of them, but the pain didn't recede.

'In accordance with the Library freedom act, article 13, and as a sergeant in the library forces, I am exercising the right to collect these books!'

I gasped in both pain and shock. That voice, it protected me in that bookstore. It was also the voice of the man on the roof.

I looked up, easing my hands off my head, peeling my eyes open. Almost all of them were crowded around me, Yuuma right next to me.

"Are you alright? What happened?" I grimaced and sat up.

"It's nothing. I just. . ." My voice trailed off, and I looked at the man in the corner, frozen to the spot, staring at me in shock, fear . . . worry. Was that the man who had saved me? What was his name?

"Dojo?" I asked, testing the name on my tongue. All heads snapped to me, including his.

"You remember?" Komaki asked, Shibasaki echoing it quickly. Yuuma was silent.

"Not much . . . Just the name . . . The man in the bookstore." I said, and Yuuma coughed down something between a laugh and an exclamation. I looked at him.

"That guy that you were always going on about? That prince guy? Instructor _Dojo?_" He chuckled again, but stopped quickly. "You're delusional, Iku."

I winced at that, but stared him down. "No, I'm not." Komaki and the rest nodded.

"She's telling the truth," Komaki said with a sigh. "I didn't think that she would get it so quickly- we weren't even sure if she remembered. Do you remember all of it?"

I shook my head. "I can only remember little bits and pieces. Everything after high school is pretty . . ."

They all nodded, but Dojo walked towards my bed, a mix between grief and happiness on his face. They all parted to let him through.

"What do you remember?" I blushed as he crouched down to look at me in the eyes. Why was I acting this way?

"I- I remember that you grabbed that book in the bookstore . . ." another thing clicked into place. "You got into big trouble for it, right? The interrogations . . ." Memories started flooding in, voices buzzing in my ears, taking me back to that fetal position, head between my hands, curled up in pain.

The interrogations . . . The girls dorm . . . Shooting guns . . . Raids . . . Shouts of pain, of death . . . They filled my ears, drowning out everything around me. Only the tug of my hands from my ears eventually broke the tirade of memories. Dojo held both hands away from my face, staring me down.

"You're fine, Kasahara. What happened?" Tears streaked down my cheeks. His voice . . . It was linked to all those memories, which threatened to surface again, my hands twitching back to my head, grimacing again. He tugged harder. "Stop! Kasahara," he said, gentler. "You don't have to remember. Not all at once. Just take it slow, alright?"

The tears streaked down my face. It was too much- all of it came at once. How could I do them one at a time when they were all connected? His face showed up everywhere. . . it was impossible to not remember.

Then he did something unexpected. Pulling my hands, he embraced me, placing my tearstreaked face against his shoulder.

"You're going to be all right. Don't worry. You're safe now."

I nodded, letting the tears flow.

It felt so safe there, I never wanted to let go.

A soft click drew my attention. The room was empty now except for me and Dojo. A quiet murmuring in the hallway distracted me.

Dojo let go and studied my face.

"You're good?" He asked, concerned. I nodded, wiping away the water from my eyes.

"I am now. Sorry . . . About earlier. I may not remember everything right now but I know you're not a bad guy. Sorry." He actually cracked a smile, something I knew I hadn't seen very often and fluffed my hair.

"It's fine . . . just don't do it again. Please." I smiled back, and then tugged at my bangs. He laughed.

"It's getting too long," I said grumpily, pouting. He laughed again and floofed it again.

"I don't know- I kinda like it long. Looks better on you." I snorted, and it soon became full-blown laughter.

I gasped for breath, Dojo for once laughing too.

I didn't want this to stop- being able to laugh like this- but all good things had to end. And he had to leave. I didn't really like the empty feeling he left behind.

* * *

"Team Dojo, report!" Genda yelled as soon as they entered. They looked somber, even more than before.

"She doesn't even remember that she was part of the Force until Takeru brought it up." Shibasaki said defeated.

"Not even that?" Genda said, shocked.

"Not just that, she didn't even recognize Dojo." They continued. Dojo walked in then.

"She did, at the end. She had . . . I don't know what to call it. She kinda . . ." They were at a loss for words. Dojo spoke up.

"She gets migraines every time she remembers something. Apparently all her memories are linked somehow, and so every time she remembers one little detail, it basically releases a floodgate of memories. It's too much for anyone to handle." They were all silent.

"What do we do?" Takeru asked softly. They had never heard him so down before. They must've been good friends.

"There's nothing we can do right now. We just have to wait and see if she can pull through this. It might take a bit of time, but we'll get her back. Besides, she needs time to recover anyways. What about her physical condition?" Genda asked.

Komaki answered this time. "The doctor said that she's still really weak, but although she might have trouble walking for a couple weeks, there shouldn't be any permanent damage."

They all sighed. "Well that's at least good news." Genda said, sighing. "Until then, back to work."

"I'm sorry sir, but what about Kasahara? She must be so bored cooped up at the hospital with nobody to talk to." Shibasaki said.

Genda and her shared an evil glance. "Dojo, You're on Kasahara duty." He looked shocked.

"What?" he sputtered.

"Oh come on, don't tell me that you don't want to help her get her memories back." Shibasaki teased.

"I didn't mean that but—" he started, but they cut him off again.

"you've always been the closest one to her. Why not?" He stuttered again, but they didn't listen to his objections.

Takeru's phone rang, and he excused himself to go take the call.

(in the hallway)

"Yes?" he said, a silky voice answering.

"How is our patient?"

"She is recovering, but still isn't in the best condition."

"What about her, ahem, mental state?" Takeru smiled.

"It hurts her when she remembers too much. So what do we do? Force her to remember more or make sure she doesn't?"

"What's stopping us from accomplishing both?" Takeru was stunned.

"Both, sir? Isn't that a little . . . extraneous?"

"are you having second thoughts, Yuuma? Not wanting to betray your old friend?" He turned stern again.

"Of course not. Instructor Dojo is in charge of looking after her, though. How are we going to get to her?" a chuckle on the other end of the line.

"I have my ways. Trust me, I have them." Takeru caught onto something in his voice.

"You're going to use Hikaru again, aren't you?" he whispered into the phone. Another chuckle answered.

"Indirectly, but yes, you get the point. Hikaru will prove a very useful pawn in destroying their morale. Both Iku and Dojo in one blow. This is more than I could've hoped for."

"What about me, sir?"

"Wait and watch. Don't give anything away."

"Yes sir," Takeru answered before hanging up the phone. He didn't want to betray his old childhood friend, but it was necessary for their plan to succeed. After this, Satoshi Tezuka might even bump his rank in the Future of the Library.

That is, if everything went according to plan.

* * *

**Thanks for reading again! A lot of things happened in this one I didn't expect. When I first made up Takeru, I thought he was going to be the tough guy. At first I didn't even know he knew kasahara, or that he was working for Satoshi all along. Shame on him! anyways, I want to thank again those of you who reviewed! That's my life! Again, if you have any ideas for a title (thanks LaLa, for yours) i'm game! **

**Alya**


	6. Another day

**Hey guys! so sorry it took so long! I had written about half of it a while ago and then found it in my writing box. So here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Library wars. Sorry.**

Dojo was headed out of the office to visit Kasahara again the next day before he heard someone calling out his name. He turned, expecting to see Komaki.

He was surprised when he saw Takeru waving him down. "Can I come with you today, sir?" He asked, running to his side.

He shrugged at him, motioning that he didn't care either way, but in truth he was a bit on edge. Takeru had been acting strangely for a while now. He had been acting strange ever since Kasahara had woken up- but he didn't deny that Takeru was protective of Kasahara. That was undeniable.

But that phone call that he had taken- it reminded him much of the time Tezuka had stepped out to take one. They had acted exactly the same way afterwards. Takeru was acting strangely now towards him. Before, he was comfortable with the silence that normally shrouded dojo. Now he was chatting amiably, laughing loudly.

What on earth was wrong with him?

His thoughts were interrupted by something Takeru said.

"So, Dojo. What's up with you and Kasahara?" Dojo stopped in his tracks, and Takeru looked around to see his face.

"Why do you ask?" Dojo very nearly growled, wondering why he was bringing this up now.

"Before I joined up, I heard you were pretty opposed to anyone taking her spot. You acted pretty cold towards me no matter what I did. You didn't talk to anybody either, and whenever someone badmouthed Kasahara, you would practically beat them to death. I'm just wondering how she left such a big impression on you. Not that I'm saying she didn't on me." He laughed, apparently trying to ease the tension now floating in the air.

Dojo was silent for a moment, trying to decide how exactly to answer. "She was one of the most reliable people I knew, even though she was a hothead and didn't listen to orders. I could trust her with my life."

Takeru was silent for a moment, and then spoke quietly. "I still do." Dojo jerked his head up.

"What?"

"I still do trust her with my life. I would no matter what. I'm just glad she still remembered me. And you, Instructor dojo. You should've heard her talk about you when she was in high school. She never stopped talking about the prince who saved her in that bookstore. You made such a big impression on her. And on me, when I got around to believing her crazy story. We both wanted to be in the Force. We wanted to protect people just like you. The rest of the school thought we were crazy." He laughed once.

"But it didn't quite work out that way. She got in- I didn't make the cut. I supported her from the sidelines, but she didn't really keep in touch after that. Whenever she did write, it was always filled with her amazing colleges and her Demon-chibi-officer who had a striking resemblance to her prince." He chuckled once, but it was dead this time.

"She almost completely forgot about me. She didn't even ask how I was doing. When I finally got the chance to join up, I took it. I didn't realize I had replaced her at first- and I didn't understand why you hated me so much."

Dojo was silent, as was Takeru.

"I didn't mean to, Takeru." He said at last. "I just couldn't trust anyone after that. Especially not someone who had replaced her. I was mistaken. I realize now that you're worth trusting."

Takeru was silent, and turned his head away. "Thanks, Instructor Dojo."

'But I'm not.' Takeru added in his head. 'And I never will be. I'm sorry.' He slowly walked away, dojo watching after him.

'What did I say?' Dojo thought to himself, wondering what he had said to make Takeru forget that he was going to see Kasahara.

Dojo walked into the room as normal, scanning the room quickly to see if she was there. The white room was empty. As he was walking back to the reception desk, someone saw him.

"Looking for Kasahara-san?" She asked, smiling. He nodded, trying to not look sheepish. He had gotten used to just going straight to her room without asking if she was there. She smiled again.

"She's on the roof. She loves the view from there- just make sure she doesn't hurt herself." He cringed at the implications that she had not meant to give. He was part of the reason she was in such bad shape as it was.

"Oh, I'm sorry," She apologized quickly. "I didn't mean it in that way."

"None taken." He said. This girl was nice, bowing to him as she left, stammering apologies. He had seen her a couple times before in the hospital, and she had always been amiable. She had been the one to take care of Kasahara while she was here, and he had grown to appreciate her kindness.

After all, she was the reason she was still there today, and not dead.

As he made his way up to the roof, he thought about what he could do. She was gaining memories, but it was hard for her to control the influx. Once they started, she didn't have any control over how many she got.

If it continued this way, It might be better for her to forget- better for her overall health at the very least. But without all those memories of him and the others, would she still be the same person?

He walked out onto the roof, and the scene before him was similar to the one when Kasahara had first woken up. The only difference was that she had no crutches now.

"Kasahara," he said, walking up behind her, trying to not startle her again. She beamed at him, turning away from the roof's railing.

"Dojo." She said, nodding to him, still smiling amiably. "How're things back at the base?" He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Everybody's worried sick about you, if that's what you're wondering." He said shortly, put off by something about her countenance. She wasn't acting normally- did she always smile that much?

"Sorry," She said, turning back to the railing, watching the sky turn pink as the sun set. "I just. . . I can't go back yet. For one the doctors won't let me until either I've regained all my memories or-or . . ." She sighed again, her head dipping. "Plus, even if I don't regain them and by some miracle they let me out- I can't just go back to a place I have no memory of and just keep going like nothing happened. And since I spent so much time there . . . I had a big attack when you guys came to visit me for the first time. Imagine me going back there- to all those memories. I wouldn't be able to handle it." She said, the sun sparkling against the tears welling up in her eyes.

Dojo stood there, not knowing what to do. If she was being her normal self, he would whack her over the head and tell her to get over it- but not only was she being very . . . weird and different right now- she was turning to him for advice- something she hated doing before.

"I don't know what to tell you," He finally said. "But you won't get any better locked up in here. And the Kasahara I know never gave up without a fight. You have to be strong."

She glanced back at him, some of the fire in her eyes returned. She nodded, smiling again and holding out her hand. He took it, smirking. "It's a deal," She said firmly.

**Sorry this one's short and kind of a weird ending. Running out of steam. Ideas, anyone? Anyway, please review!**


	7. A day out

Chapter 7

Soooo Sorry for the long wait! Thank you all for being so patient with me! I had kind of a writer's block. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with it and the characters had changed from when I started- I had to get back into the mode of writing again.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own library wars. Then I could ship dojo and Kasahara to my heart's content! :D

"Shibasaki . . ." Kasahara groaned. "Did you _really _have to put me in this thing?! I can't move at all!" She complained, pulling at the knee-length dress that Shibasaki had forced her into.

"It's your first time out of the hospital!" Shibasaki said, smiling devilishly. "Besides, we're going to the mall! You can't exactly go in your hospital gown." Kasahara groaned at her reasoning. There was just no refusing Shibasaki in the first place, but when she got like _this. _. .

"Kasahara?" Takeru asked, surprised, when she walked out into the lobby. The whole gang was there, including Marie! Kasahara blushed as she saw Dojo staring at her, and then shifted the crutches in her arms.

"Shibasaki, how am I supposed to move at all?" Kasahara complained again, lifting up her bad leg and shifting the straps connecting her crutches to her arms. Marie was standing next to Shibasaki, freaking out over how cute Kasahara looked.

"If it gets too bad, Kasahara, Takeru or Dojo could carry you." Shibasaki said, gesturing to the pair, and they all blushed, Kasahara most of all, but they didn't know at what name.

"Forget it," She said, stuttering slightly, and swung herself out of the hospital, ignoring the giggles of the girls and the smiles of the guys at her cute dress.

"So Kasahara," Takeru said cheerfully as he and the gang walked around the mall, browsing. "Is it good to be out and about again?"

Kasahara smiled at him as she hobbled along on her crutches, struggling to catch up to Shibasaki, Tezuka, Komaki and Marie in front of them. Dojo was behind them, brow furrowed.

"Where do you want to go?" Takeru asked, smiling back. He seemed to be in good spirits- he had spent half the morning chattering away about her family back home and old school friends.

"Nowhere in particular," She said, mind starting to wander. It felt so surreal, being with all of her friends. She felt different, in their company. More like herself. More competitive, eager to prove that she wasn't so weak. But the dress still got in the way- even though her mom would've approved, Kasahara still wanted to be in more comfortable clothes.

That was one of the reasons she hadn't asked for a break from her crutches yet. One was because she didn't want to let anyone down, but she also didn't want the carrying thing to be brought up again.

Although her doctors insisted the crutches were for her own good, she didn't feel as if they were necessary. Komaki and Marie ducked into a small shop along the road, and upon closer inspection, Kasahara saw Marie beaming at the small stuffed animals.

She smiled, enjoying the scene in front of her. "Cute couple, aren't they instructor dojo?" Shibasaki said, sneaking up behind him, harassing him when he didn't respond. Kasahara laughed- she felt so at home around them, but they all stopped in surprise.

"I'm sorry!" She said, a hand covering her mouth, still giggling. "You guys are just-" she burst into laughter again, feeling more like herself than she had since her operation.

The rest of the company felt their spirits lift at seeing her more like herself- Shibasaki smiling 'I knew it the whole time'.

Tezuka actually giving a half smile, sighing. 'Of course. Nothing could stop _her_.'

Komaki and Marie were watching from the window- Marie, clapping her hands together excitedly. 'Yay! She's back again!'

Komaki smiling as usual. 'At least dojo will be more relaxed.'

Takeru was practically beaming, and said, out loud, "Glad to see you're back to normal."

Dojo just sat there, smiling- hoping against hope that it would last. 'Dummy,' he thought to himself, 'don't get so worked up.' But something struck a chord with him about Takeru smiling at Kasahara that way. If Takeru made a move on her just because she looked cute . . .

"Do you want to go sit down?" Takeru asked, pointing at a nearby café.

"Sure," She replied thankfully, smiling back at him again. They rest of the team following easily, Shibasaki watching smugly as they walked side by side, Dojo walking behind, for some reason spewing black lines.

She smiled again, beginning to suspect a thickening of plot between those three.

'This is going to be interesting.'

They all sat around a big table, drinking warm coffee, though it was warm out. "I'm sorry you missed the snow, Iku." Takeru was saying to Kasahara. "I know how much you loved it."

"It's okay," She replied offhandedly. "I could see it from my window well enough." They both laughed, and Dojo looked on with something that looked like . . . envy? Kasahara played with the crutches, which were leaning against the table- red lines marked where the bands had dug into her arms.

"Are you okay with the crutches?" Takeru asked, touching the marks gently. "Do they hurt?"

Kasahara shifted uncomfortably, but shook her head. "They aren't so bad, but it does get annoying after a while. It feels good to have them off."

Dojo looked like he was about to spew steam from his ears watching the two.

"Anyways," Shibasaki interrupted, breaking up the party before it could turn ugly. "Where are we going to go from here?" They all looked to Kasahara, waiting for her to say something. She didn't squirm under their eyes like she had done previously when they had asked her. Little by little they were getting her back.

"I was thinking maybe we could go to the anime store," She said, putting a hand to her chin, thinking hard. "Or maybe the bookstore."

Surprised, Marie and Takeru agreed immediately. It made sense to them- Kasahara, bookshops. Why not? But the rest of the team was worried to varying degrees. What if she had a flashback while she was there?

Kasahara didn't seem concerned, though, so they went along with it. Who knew? Maybe it would be good for her to be back around books again. Her simply wanting to be around them was a good sign to Dojo and the others. It meant that she was coming back.

In the bookshop, Kasahara ditched the crutches. 'Too wide,' she had said to them when she left them on a chair in the reading corner as she looked at books. 'I wouldn't be able to walk anyways.'

But even so, she tried to put as little weight on it as possible. Although she could stand just fine, it hurt when she tried to put her whole weight on it. As she looked at books, Takeru shadowed her, suggesting books and fetching whatever she wanted like an overgrown puppy.

"What about this one, Iku?" He asked, holding up a fantasy novel. Her eyes brightened immediately as she grasped it.

"I thought they had collected all these books!" She exclaimed, flipping through it eagerly. "The MBC took them when I was in high school! Then my prince . . ." She trailed off, caught in the memory- it didn't hurt this time, but she still found herself shocked.

If her prince and Dojo were the same person . . . And she liked her prince . . . then that meant . . . She blushed, and glanced over at where dojo sat a couple yards away, reading, brow furrowed. He glanced up at her suddenly, as if she had called out to him, and she took an involuntary step back, accidentally putting her weight on her bad leg.

Gasping, she lifted her leg back up- but now unbalanced, tipped precariously backwards, the ground coming up fast.

"Iku!"

"Kasahara!"

**Okay, that's that chapter! And I'm going to do something I've never done before: Put up a vote! What do you want to happen? **

**Option 1: Takeru could catch her, and you could have a chapter full of flirty Takeru and jealous Dojo and perhaps a confrontation. (wiggles eyebrows)**

**Option 2: she could fall and have both boys worrying about her for the entire rest of the chapter, and perhaps someone ending up carrying her. (If you choose this option, please include who you could want to carry her!) **

**Review or PM me with your choice! Bye you guys, and can't wait to write again! **

**Alya**


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